Chapter 17:
The smell of the chlorine filled my nose, making my body all tingly. The indoor pool was warm and the sound of water sloshing around echoed throughout the building. Reid floated in front of me, just looking at me. He didn't have to do the bouncy thing, where you'd have to stand on your tippy toes and bounce a little to stay above water like I had to when I was in a pool.
He avoided eye contact with me. Instead, he looked at the water and how it reacted when his floating arms moved back and forth. I could tell he was upset. He had a slight pout going on, which made him look kind of adorable. My eyes drifted down, away from his mouth, to his chest and arms. They were smooth and toned and almost perfect in a way....
I quickly snapped my gaze away from his body and looked strictly at his face. He still was focused on his arms floating to notice, which gave me a sense of relief. I didn't want him to think that I was checking him out.
"Are you going to say something?" Reid said after some time, bringing all his attention to me.
"I have nothing to say. I'm just here for you if you need to say something," I stated, placing my arms behind me and leaning back onto them.
"If Caleb sent you-"
"He didn't send me," I softly interrupted before he could finish. "Like I said, I'm here for you,"
"You probably don't get it," he said tilting his head back and letting his body follow, allowing him to float on his back.
"Get what?" I asked confused now.
"What it's like to have these powers." He looked up at the ceiling as if it was easier to talk to it than me. "The firstborn male of the Ipswich line gets to have the amazing gift of, powers. We get talked to about it from when we are babies till right before our thirteen birthday. We get told how to use our powers, what to do with them, what not to do with them. Then after we get our powers, we get told the horror stories, of the addiction and how it will affect our body." His voice trails off and he becomes quiet.
"Sounds like a lot of pressure for a thirteen year old," I interject softly, trying not to startle him.
"There's always a screw up in the group. I guess this generation it's me," he admitted.
"Well, I don't think you're a screw up. You're just living your life," I said trying to cheer him up a little.
"When we turn eighteen, that's when it really starts to matter. That's when the use of our powers age us and make us more addicted to them,"
"Can't you just not use them?" I asked.
"Not an option. We don't use them then we die," he answered.
"Well, we can't have any of that happening." I pulled my legs from the water. My toes had started to get all wrinkly.
"You don't think I did it, do you?" he asked with his eyes closed. He was floating towards me and getting close to the pool wall. I placed my hand into the warm water and caught his head before it collided into the wall. His eyes quickly flung open looking straight at me.
"I know it wasn't you," I said firmly. I could feel his body lose all it's tension, like it was physically relieved with my answer.
"You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right?" he stated and asked at the same time. It hit me hard and to my core. No ones ever said that to me before. I was never close to anyone for someone to say that. I hesitated for a moment not wanting to give a false answer but also feeling something that I never have felt before. It was like a reaction within me and I knew exactly how I felt.
"Yes, I know," I whispered, smiling down at him. I could feel my heart race all of a sudden. We looked at each other in silence until I broke the silence that was increasing my heart rate. "Get out of the water," I said gesturing with my head. "It's time for food."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Reid took me to the oldies diner, that I had seen on my way to the school the first day I arrived in Ipswich. It was kind of in the middle of nowhere but not to far away that no one could find. I ordered a chocolate chip pancake with some hash browns on the side and Reid order a stack of pancakes. When the food arrived we both just drove right in. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the first bite hit my mouth. We didn't talk, we just consumed and it was amazing. We finally started to slow down. I was getting full but the food was so good I didn't want to stop until I finished everything.
"This place is amazing," I said placing my fork on my almost empty plate. Reid nodded in agreement while chewing his food.
"It's one of my favorites," he admitted after swallowing. "We used to come here a lot when we were homeschooled but now, we don't make it out here that much," he added before taking a sip of his water.
"It must be nice," I responded. He gave me a confused look. "The history you family shares, each generation, has its own built-in best friends,"
"You think?" he asked.
"I think so. You have three other people who you've known since basically birth. You share the same family history and you have the same powers," I said softly making sure no one could hear us, even though there was no one practically here. "You have a whole group of people who understand you to a degree,"
"Did you have anyone you were close to growing up?" Reid asked pushing his empty plate away from him, to make room for him to rest his arms on the table.
"Ummm..." I started. I could fill my insides stiffen up. My heart started to race. I actually had to think about it. I went through everything I could remember, everyone from my life but no one stood out. They were just faces. "No, I didn't," I admitted after a while. His face changed quickly.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"No, don't do that. Don't give me that look," I said pointing at his "I pity you" face.
"I'm not-"
"Yes, you are. You're looking at me like I'm a poor little orphan girl," I said. Everyone looks at me that way when they find out I don't have parents.
"I don't think you're a poor little orphan girl," he insisted. "Actually, you're far from that. You're so much more than that."
"Can I get you anything else?" I snapped my head up looking at the waitress. She was perky and definitely was only paying attention to Reid. Reid shook his head and asked for the check. She returned quickly after taking our plates to the back. She had two different checks and handed me one and the other to Reid.
"I'll take that," Reid said snatching my receipt from my hand.
"Um, excuse that's not good manners," I said taking it back from him.
"This is my treat," he said once again stealing it from my grasp. I gave him a soft glare.
"For what? Throwing a tantrum before?" I said raising my eyebrow. He made a face at me and ended up paying for the both of us. I made a mental note to pay him back when we got back to the dorms.
I didn't realize how much fun I was having with Reid. He wasn't that bad as I thought at the beginning. He differently had layers to him. But I didn't mind that at all.
Not at all.
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Author's Notes:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! If you liked it, feel free to give this chapter a vote and/or comment. I would love to hear what you guys think. See you at the next chapter!
- Impact